L
hard“A little bell rang lightly in the hall.”
Touch the tongue tip just behind the upper teeth for /l/. Keep each L clear before increasing speed.
Practice this one→Hard tongue twisters
Trickier sound changes and denser phrases for learners ready to push their clarity.
40 drillsEnglishPronunciation practice
P-B
hard“Bella painted pale blue birds on paper.”
Close both lips. Release a stronger puff for /p/ and use voice for /b/.
Practice this one→F-V
hard“Frank's favorite flavor is fresh vanilla.”
Touch the lower lip to the upper teeth. Use air for /f/ and add vocal vibration for /v/.
Practice this one→CH-J
hard“Jenny's orange jacket matched her cherry shoes.”
Begin with a brief stop and release into friction. Keep CH /tʃ/ and J /dʒ/ distinct.
Practice this one→K-G
hard“Kate cooked garlic cakes for Greg's guests.”
Lift the back of the tongue toward the soft palate. Keep /k/ unvoiced and /g/ voiced.
Practice this one→R
hard“Rapid river ripples rocked the narrow rowing boat.”
Keep the tongue slightly raised and pulled back for /r/. Start slowly, then increase speed without turning R into L.
Practice this one→SH
hard“Shy fish flashed beneath the shallow ship.”
Round the lips slightly for /ʃ/ and keep the airflow smooth. Contrast it clearly with /s/.
Practice this one→S
hard“Sour sauce spilled beside the salad bowl.”
Keep a narrow stream of air through the center of the tongue for /s/. Avoid adding a SH sound.
Practice this one→TH
hard“Three thick thumbtacks fell beside the thermometer.”
Place the tongue tip lightly between the teeth. Use air for /θ/ and add voice for /ð/.
Practice this one→W
hard“Warm water washed over the wide rocks.”
Round the lips and move quickly into the following vowel. Avoid replacing /w/ with /v/.
Practice this one→SH
hard“A cheerful chef shaped fresh sushi neatly.”
Round the lips slightly for /ʃ/ and keep the airflow smooth. Contrast it clearly with /s/.
Practice this one→F-V
hard“A friendly farmer fixed five broken fences.”
Touch the lower lip to the upper teeth. Use air for /f/ and add vocal vibration for /v/.
Practice this one→K-G
hard“Clever kids collected glass beads by the creek.”
Lift the back of the tongue toward the soft palate. Keep /k/ unvoiced and /g/ voiced.
Practice this one→CH-J
hard“Jack changed trains during the long journey.”
Begin with a brief stop and release into friction. Keep CH /tʃ/ and J /dʒ/ distinct.
Practice this one→L
hard“Lily's playful puppy followed along the trail.”
Touch the tongue tip just behind the upper teeth for /l/. Keep each L clear before increasing speed.
Practice this one→P-B
hard“Poppy baked pepper bread before the picnic.”
Close both lips. Release a stronger puff for /p/ and use voice for /b/.
Practice this one→R
hard“Rusty red tractors rumbled across the rural road.”
Keep the tongue slightly raised and pulled back for /r/. Start slowly, then increase speed without turning R into L.
Practice this one→S
hard“Sophie sent seven postcards from sunny Spain.”
Keep a narrow stream of air through the center of the tongue for /s/. Avoid adding a SH sound.
Practice this one→TH
hard“This Thursday they will thread thirty needles.”
Place the tongue tip lightly between the teeth. Use air for /θ/ and add voice for /ð/.
Practice this one→W
hard“Wendy wore warm woolen gloves on Wednesday.”
Round the lips and move quickly into the following vowel. Avoid replacing /w/ with /v/.
Practice this one→P-B
hard“Bright bubbles popped past the park bench.”
Close both lips. Release a stronger puff for /p/ and use voice for /b/.
Practice this one→CH-J
hard“Chunky cheese sandwiches filled June's lunchbox.”
Begin with a brief stop and release into friction. Keep CH /tʃ/ and J /dʒ/ distinct.
Practice this one→F-V
hard“Four soft scarves fell over Vera's velvet vest.”
Touch the lower lip to the upper teeth. Use air for /f/ and add vocal vibration for /v/.
Practice this one→K-G
hard“Greg's green kayak crossed the cold lake.”
Lift the back of the tongue toward the soft palate. Keep /k/ unvoiced and /g/ voiced.
Practice this one→R
hard“Rory carefully carried three fragile red rulers.”
Keep the tongue slightly raised and pulled back for /r/. Start slowly, then increase speed without turning R into L.
Practice this one→SH
hard“Sharp scissors sliced shiny silver sheets.”
Round the lips slightly for /ʃ/ and keep the airflow smooth. Contrast it clearly with /s/.
Practice this one→S
hard“Six students studied science after sunset.”
Keep a narrow stream of air through the center of the tongue for /s/. Avoid adding a SH sound.
Practice this one→TH
hard“The thirsty athlete breathed through three stretches.”
Place the tongue tip lightly between the teeth. Use air for /θ/ and add voice for /ð/.
Practice this one→W
hard“White wings swept over the windy wetland.”
Round the lips and move quickly into the following vowel. Avoid replacing /w/ with /v/.
Practice this one→L
hard“Yellow tulips lined the lovely garden wall.”
Touch the tongue tip just behind the upper teeth for /l/. Keep each L clear before increasing speed.
Practice this one→CH-J
hard“George joined the children near the jungle gym.”
Begin with a brief stop and release into friction. Keep CH /tʃ/ and J /dʒ/ distinct.
Practice this one→K-G
hard“Gray clouds gathered over the quiet creek.”
Lift the back of the tongue toward the soft palate. Keep /k/ unvoiced and /g/ voiced.
Practice this one→L
hard“Leo carefully folded the long blue blanket.”
Touch the tongue tip just behind the upper teeth for /l/. Keep each L clear before increasing speed.
Practice this one→P-B
hard“Pablo bought a box of pink buttons.”
Close both lips. Release a stronger puff for /p/ and use voice for /b/.
Practice this one→R
hard“Rita's brother brought bright roses from Rome.”
Keep the tongue slightly raised and pulled back for /r/. Start slowly, then increase speed without turning R into L.
Practice this one→SH
hard“She shared fresh cherries beside the shore.”
Round the lips slightly for /ʃ/ and keep the airflow smooth. Contrast it clearly with /s/.
Practice this one→S
hard“Small sailboats slipped smoothly across the sea.”
Keep a narrow stream of air through the center of the tongue for /s/. Avoid adding a SH sound.
Practice this one→TH
hard“Their healthy breakfast included thin wheat toast.”
Place the tongue tip lightly between the teeth. Use air for /θ/ and add voice for /ð/.
Practice this one→F-V
hard“Vivian found five forgotten files in the van.”
Touch the lower lip to the upper teeth. Use air for /f/ and add vocal vibration for /v/.
Practice this one→W
hard“William watched the weather from the window.”
Round the lips and move quickly into the following vowel. Avoid replacing /w/ with /v/.
Practice this one→